


Returning to the Hell Mouth

by BetweenKandM



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Caning, Corporal Punishment, F/M, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:20:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27465580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenKandM/pseuds/BetweenKandM
Summary: The one where Giles holds Buffy accountable for running away and leaving her mother and the scooby gang reeling in her absence.Elle is no good at summaries. This story contains spanking, don't like don't read.
Relationships: Rupert Giles & Buffy Summers, Rupert Giles/Buffy Summers
Kudos: 12





	Returning to the Hell Mouth

Buffy summoned what strength she had left and knocked on Giles door, shivering from the anxiety of seeing her watcher again for the first time in months. She hadn’t told Giles that she was leaving town, she hadn’t told anyone actually. Not that she had really sat down to think it through, it was kind of a last minute means to an end kind of thing. She also hadn’t really planned on ever returning to Sunnydale either, but after everything she went through with Lily Buffy finally felt like she could handle going back to the hell mouth. 

The slayer shifted from foot-to-foot as the gang waited for Giles to open the door. There was a good chance the only reason she managed to stay on the doorstep was because Xander was right there behind her, tension of his own rolling off of his body. What if Giles didn’t answer the door? What if he opened the door, saw her, and slammed the door in her face? What if he yelled at her. Buffy’s anxiety mounted with each passing second and each unbearable scenario that her mind created to torture her. 

Luckily, or unluckily, the Watcher didn’t keep the Scooby gang waiting too long. Upon opening the door Giles wavered in the doorway for a moment, staring at the not-so-missing Slayer that stood before him. Relief flooded his body and anxiety turned to frustration as he released the breath he’d been holding since he had realized his ward had left town. So many things had gone through his mind when the girl had run away, but the main thing he felt was guilt. He’d felt like he had failed her. It was Giles job to watch over the slayer, to guide her, to teach her, and to protect her. He was sure that he had failed Buffy in more way than either of them realized and he was confronted with that fact when the young slayer had vanished. 

The man shook himself from his stupor and invited everyone inside, resisting the urge to embrace Buffy and never let her go, the urge to grab her by the arms and shake her, the urge to turn her over his knee right then and there. He managed to hold himself together until the kettle began whistling at him, once in the kitchen he allowed himself a moment to fall apart. Buffy was here, safe and in his living room. She had come and he no longer needed to worry about where she was, if she was okay, and what he had done to send her away. Buffy was safe, well as safe as you get in Sunnydale. 

Watcher and slayer danced around each other for about an hour before Buffy excused herself to head home, claiming she was worn out from the bus ride in and that her mom was expecting her. Really, she just felt out of control. Buffy thought that coming home would be fine, that she would just be able to step back into her life. She realized now that she was here, that expecting her life to just be on hold for her was absurd. She had hurt everyone in her life and now she had to deal with the consequences. Only Giles usually helped her with consequences and now, now she just didn’t know if that was even something he wanted to offer her anymore. 

The girl lie awake in bed for quite some time, tossing and turning. Her stomach was in knots, she wanted to crawl out of her skin, and guilt washed through her even more now that she was home in her own bed. The bed her mother had kept empty for her. She felt guilty because while she had told herself she was running away because no one wanted her here, really she had run away because it was hard being here. She felt like a burden on her mother, like a burden on her friends, and like a burden on the man in charge of guiding her through life. She hadn’t given much thought really to how her absence would affect them. Buffy had convinced herself that they would all be happy with her gone, that they would go back to their pre-Buff lives. Usually when she failed to think about how her actions would affect others, Giles set her straight. Buffy shivered thinking about their arrangement. She never wanted to have a “discussion” with Giles about her behavior, but she had been the one to originally approach him about helping her be more accountable. And she always felt much better afterwards, like she could think clearly, even if she was more sore than when the conversation began. 

The slayer didn’t know how to ask Giles if their arrangement was still on the table. How could she expect Giles to hold up his end of their deal when she had run away from her end? She had broken their two cardinal rules. Like capital RULES. Do not lie and tell Giles if you’re struggling. And boy oh boy had she been struggling a whole lot leading up to the great escape. The worst part was running away hadn’t solved anything, she didn’t feel any better than when she had left. Running away from her destiny as monster killer hadn’t solved all of her problems. Now she had even more problems than when she left, and she had to mend the relationships with all of the people she had hurt in the process. Not knowing if Giles was still there for her made Buffy feel even more out of control. The watcher was the one consistent thing in her life, always read to praise her or dole out correction when needed, and no matter what he always supported her. 

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Giles sat in his modest living room with yet another cup of tea. He took his glasses in one hand so that he could rub his face in frustration as he sighed. He wished that the others would have left, or that he would have thought to send them away, so that he could have spoken to Buffy in private. He hadn’t been able to tell them to leave himself because he wasn’t sure how the girls absence had changed their relationship. Normally, he would have turned the errant slayer over his knee for a rather thorough spanking, but he obviously couldn’t if that was something she wasn’t going to consent to going forward. 

The watcher wasn’t used to feeling this level of uncertainty in how to deal with his Slayer, not since they’d first been introduced to each other. When Buffy had approached him about helping her he had shown her the slayer handbook and the section that outlined corporal punishment. The rest of the book didn’t really apply to her, but this bit he felt could help her become what she aspired to be. Giles sighed once more before turning his lights out, he wouldn’t be solving this problem tonight. 

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"Jeez Xander, do you think you could stick to annoying me on your own behalf?" Buffy cringed as the words fell from her lips. She hadn't meant that, why has she said that? Lucky for her, the slayer didn't have to wonder for long as zombies began pouring into the house and the Scooby Gang jumped into action.

Buffy relished the feeling of normalcy, and took a moment to see the absurdity in that statement, at fighting evil and monsters with the gang again. It was nice, if fleeting, to feel like nothing had changed between the six of them. Like she hadn’t hurt them and betrayed their trust, like big time. It seemed they too enjoyed the familiarity of evening as they waved goodbye for the night.

“Mom, there’s something Gile’s and I need to talk about. I’m going to his house for a little while tonight.” Buffy stammered as she told herself if she could fight the undead then surely she could talk to her Watcher. 

"Oh okay, will you be back tonight?" Her mother asked nervously, obviously unwilling to watch her leave again.

“I will be here for breakfast in the morning, scouts honor.” Buffy crossed her heart and kissed Joyce on the cheek before turning to follow Giles back to the car he had hotwired. 

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“Giles, listen I-” Buffy began but Giles held up a hand to stop her attempted apology.

“I know what you’re going to say Buffy, but I don’t want to start that conversation now. We have a ten minute drive, if we don’t get pulled over for driving a stolen car. Why don’t you tell me about where you went?” Giles spoke softly, trying to relay that he was no longer mad at her. 

And so Buffy spent the drive telling her watcher about the diner, and her little apartment, Lily. They spent the drive reconnecting, figuring out how to talk to each other again, and for the first time since she’d been home it really did feel like Buffy had never left. 

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Buffy squired under Gile’s gaze as they sat across from each other at his dining table. It wasn’t the first time she’d been sitting at this very table, getting that exact same look from her Watcher. Honestly it probably wouldn’t be the last time either but it never got easier to know that she was here because she had disappointed him. 

“Now, I am ready to have the conversation you tried to begin in the car. Let’s hear it, then.” Giles said simply, letting Buffy take the lead for a moment. 

“I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am, really sorry. And I know I don’t deserve it, after I hurt you like I did, but please hold me accountable, please?” Buffy’s voice trailed off into a whisper, the final please more of a whimper - the pain and guilt she was feeling evident in that one word. 

“Accountable how, Buffy?” Giles replied, feigning being oblivious to what the slayer was alluding to. 

“Giles, please-” Buffy hated saying their arrangement outloud.

“Enough. Ask me for what you need Buffy.” The watcher replied, his voice indicating finality and left no room for argument. 

“Please spank me, Giles? I can’t handle this on my own.” The slayer begged, tear rolling down her face. 

“I think you’ve earned yourself quite the spanking, don’t you?” Giles began, holding up a hand to silence the girl’s response. “You left town, without telling anyone, without regard for your post, and with total disregard for the people you were leaving behind. You made the most selfish decision I have ever seen. A decision that left your friends and family reeling. You also decided to not talk to anyone about the feelings that led up to this decision, another selfish choice. Myself, your friends, and your mother are here for you Buffy. We've talked about you trying to handle everything on your own before, haven't we?" 

"Yes." Buffy whispered. 

"We've also talked about your selfishness. Haven't we?" 

"Yes." Buffy was openly crying at this point, as Giles laid her sins out on the table before her. 

“I will not stand for such blatant disregard for the feelings of those that care for you or this rash impulsivity that you continue to display. Both of these behaviors will end tonight. You made a terrible choice, Buffy, and your consequences will reflect that. Do you understand me?” Giles voice was firm, not raised, but unwavering in expressing his displeasure and disappointment. 

"Yes, Giles, I understand." The slayer managed to say between her tears. 

"Very well, wait here."

Buffy wrapped her arms around herself as Giles left the room. He didn’t make her wait long, other nights he might take a few extra moments to let her stew and think about her misdeeds. But he knew that she had done nothing but think about it for months now. When he came back downstairs though, he could tell that the girl wished he hadn’t. The man held a thin clear cane in his right hand as he regarded the slayer from his spot at the foot of the stairs. He hadn’t caned the girl before, and he could see the guilt wash over Buffy as she took that in. 

"Stand up please, Buffy." Giles commanded as he crossed the room. 

Giles pulled the chair she had vacated away from the table and sat. He beckoned the girl to his side and had to suppress a smile as her hands subconsciously attempted to cover her backside, a feeble attempt to protect herself from the quickly approaching spanking. 

“Tell me why you’re about to be spanked, Buffy Ann.” Giles once again commanded as he deftly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down until they pooled at her knees. 

“I was selfish, I ran away, I hurt all of my friends and family, and I lied to you.” Buffy recited and tried to stand still. Giles hated it when she fidgeted while being lectured. 

“Very good.” The watcher whisked Buffy’s underwear down to join her pants before pulling the slayer unceremoniously over his lap. She left out a gasp as she collapsed over his knee but didn’t put any resistance forth. 

Buffy very predictably tried not to react as Giles began spanking her, attempting to take the spanking as stoically as possible. Also very predictably, this strategy did not last very long and the slayer began whimpering and squirming as her watchers firm hand covered every inch of her exposed bottom. 

Eventually Buffy’s bottom felt like it was on fire and tears poured from her eyes. Still, she did her best to hold still as she paid for her sins. She knew that even in this position she could over power the older man at any time. She figured that was part of the process, totally submitting herself to the punishment. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t struggle just a little bit, she was hurting after all. 

Buffy continued to cry well after Gile’s hand began rubbing her back instead of continuing to spank her. He allowed her to rest over his knee for a moment, he had not held back during this part of her punishment and he could not imagine the emotions she must be dealing with at this moment. After a few minutes her cries turned to shuddery breaths and he slowly helped the slayer to her feet. 

“Pants and underwear all the way off now, Buffy. Then bend over and place your elbows on the table, palms flat, and legs together.” He spoke before turning to retrieve the cane he had brought down stairs. 

Buffy hurried to obey, not wanting to earn any more than she already had coming. Giles took a moment to correct her position, inching her legs together and making sure her arms were properly under her. When she was settled he took a step back and to the left, swishing the cane through the air as he moved. 

“Your elbows and feet should stay where they are. Breaking position could result in the cane landing where it does not belong as well as added strokes. Do not make me add more strokes, Buffy.” 

“Yes, sir.” Buffy replies and seemed to steel herself as Giles tapped the cane against her already reddened bottom. 

“I think 12 should get my point across. For the first five, after each one I’d like you to give me an alternative solution to running away.” 

“Yes, Giles.” Buffy whimpered in response. 

Giles brought the can down square across the slayers ass. Buffy yelled and bent at the knees for a moment before presenting her bottom to Giles again. 

“I could have told you how out of control I felt.” Buffy gasped out. The cane sucked the air out of her lungs and felt like a red hot poker on top of her already abused bottom. 

Giles muttered his approval before bringing the cane down again, just below the first. Buffy let out a yell and began crying again, unsure how she would get through another 10 strokes. 

“I could have asked the gang for more help.” She managed to say between cries. 

Giles nodded to himself and once again, brought the cane down across both cheeks, below the previous stroke. He watched as Buffy dropped her head, obviously wanting to collapse onto the table but held her stance. 

“I could have told my mom sooner.” 

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Giles landed the twelfth stroke midway down the slayers thighs before setting the cane down on the table next to her. Buffy was sobbing and gulping for air, unsure if she was ever going to sit down again. The watcher pulled Buffy to her feet and helped her walk over to the couch. He was positive she wouldn’t want anything to touch her behind so he didn’t bother trying to help her dress. Instead he sat on the couch and let the slayer lean on him as she rested on her side. Her cries took awhile to subside, that caning had been no walk in the park. 

Once Buffy had calmed down though, she felt a renewed sense of inner peace. She was right with her watcher, and with her watcher by her side she could handle making things right with the rest of the Scooby Gang and her mother.


End file.
